Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui

 

Over the weekend, I read Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui. This realistic fiction novel is about Nimra Sharif, a Pakistani American girl who is going to a public middle school for seventh grade after being homeschooled until she was eight and then going to Islamic school. She's excited to finally go to school with her best friend, Jenna, but middle school is challenging and Jenna starts acting hot and cold around Nimra upon learning she'll be wearing her hijab to school, especially when they're with Jenna's other friends. To fit in and win Jenna back, Nimra joins Barakah Beats, a band of popular eighth grade boys, even though her parents always told her that music isn't allowed in Islam. She plans to quit as soon as things are back to normal with her and Jenna, but then the band signs up for a talent show raising money for refugees making it harder for her to drop out. As her plan begins to work and she realizes she actually likes hanging out with the band, she grows increasingly uncomfortable lying to everyone and must decide if she should betray her bandmates or herself.

This novel was a quick read for me and I liked it a lot. I thought it was relatable that Nimra wanted to fit in at her new school and could understand why she would take a risk joining Barakah Beats even if it meant not being true to herself. I definitely enjoyed her friendship with Waleed, Bilal, Matthew, and Khadijah, Bilal's younger sister who helps out with the band. I didn't want her to betray them and it didn't seem like she was miserable singing with her bandmates, but it was obvious how keeping secrets was taking a toll on her more so than anything else. I liked Jenna at first, but as I read the story, the little things that were slightly off in their friendship built up and I didn't want Nimra to be friends with someone who couldn't understand how important religion was to her and didn't make time to hang out with her outside of school. Another thing I loved about Nimra was her passion for art and I'm glad that it was her outlet when things were rough both at school and with her family. I can especially imagine how frustrating it was for Nimra when her mom and grandma argued and it was a really good idea that she would draw as a form of coping with their disagreements. As an exploration of faith, family, and friendship, this book is a terrific choice for anyone going through the challenge of finding their place in middle school.